Meter.



W. I. COSTELLO.

METER.

APPLICATION FILEDYOCT. 5. 1910.

1 ,1 89,348. Patented July 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET @una nto@ wit/venom l W. J. COSTELLO.

METER.

APPLICATION man oc.s,19xo.

i1,1 89,348. Patented July 4, 1916.

z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wam/#vm E 6fm/ede WALTER J'. COSTELLO, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA.

METER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Application led October 5, 1910. Serial No. 585,528.

To aZZwLom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVAL'rER J. COSTELLO, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improve'- ments in Meters, and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This invention relates to measuring devices, but more particularly tometers for measuring liquids, and it has for its object to provide adevice of this class to be used for measuring the flow of a liquidthrough the meter, and which is so constructed that air or gas passingthrough the meter will got be. registered by the meter registering ial.

Meters as usually employed for measuring liquids can be operated by airor gas forced through the meter and caused to register much the same asthough liquid had passed through the same. For certain purposestherefore, when the liquid to be measured is under pressure of air orgas, meters of the general type are liable to register when the air orgas passes through the meter and to such an extent that the meter ormore properly the registering dial or dials would falsely register thequantity of liquid passing through the same.

This invention therefore has for its object to provide a meter having aregistering apparatus associated therewith which will only record orregister when a liquid is passing through the same.

'ith this object in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction of the meter and in a means for-'automaticallydisconnecting the registering apparatus from the moving part or parts ofthe meter when there is no liquid within the meter.

The invention further consists in an arrangement of parts which causesair or gas to pass without affecting the registering apparatus.

The invention also consists in certain other novel details ofconstruction and in combination of parts, all of which will be firstfully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In handling certain liquids usually contained in casks and drawntherefrom through faucets connected to the casks, which liquids in thecasks are under air pressure certain disadvantages are presented amountof liquid passing through the meter or contained in the cask, while, theair or other rare fluids such as gases within the cask and passingthrough the meter will not be registered thereby in such manner that acorrect registering of the liquid in the cask will be efi'ected.

Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure l is an elevation of ameter constructed in accordance with this invention, a portion of thecasing being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectionalview through the meter, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of thc gearing.

Like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the threefigures in which;

1 indicates the moving part of a meter which may be of any design orconstruction, it being clearly understood that the form or constructionof the moving mechanism of the meter forms no part of this invention,the construction shown in the drawings and designated by the numeral 1being employed in this application simply to illustrate the invention,and any other form of moving mechanism can be equally well employed solong as it imparts a rotary motion to the mechanism which will be nowdescribed and in which this invention resides.

2 indicates the shell containing the moving mechanism l, while 3 and 4indicate the intake and outlet ports respectively.

5 is a chamber through which the liquid passes on its way to the outletport 4, and within this chamber 5 is a float 6 of cork or any othersuitable material. Mounted on the said float and rotatable thereon is aclutch member 7, the sleeve 8 of which is journaled in a bearing 9 inthe float 6 in such manner that said clutch member 7 and sleeve 8 arerotatable relatively to the float 6 but are vertically movabletherewith.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, 10 indicates a shaft driven bythe moving mechanisml of the meter, said shaft carrying a worm gear 11which meshes with a worm gear wheel 12 on a shaft 13, a small spur gear1-1 being mounted on the upper end of the shaft 13, and in mesh with asimilar spur gear 15 on a vertical shaft 16, said vertical shaft 16entering the sleeve 8 of the clutch member 7 a connection being effectedbetween said vertical shaft 16 and sleeve 8 by means of a pin 17 in theshaft 16 operating in slots'18 in the sleeve 8 in such manner that thesleeve 8 is slidable vertically on the shaft 16 but rotatable therewith.v l

19 indicates the upper clutch member mounted on the vertical shaft 20,which shaft drives the registering mechanism having the registering dial21, the lower end of the shaft 2Q entering the sleeve 8 of the lowerclutch member 7 as shown in Fig. 2 to effect an alinement of the twoshafts and clutch members.

Having thus described the mechanism shown in the drawings which form oneembodiment of the invention its operation is as follows: The liquidentering the intake port 3 passes to the moving part or parts 1 of themeter and rotates the same, thus driving the shaft 10 which through themedium of the intermediate mechanism rotates the lower clutch member 7mounted on the lioat 6. As the liquid passes to the chamber 5 containingthe float 6 and rises therein, the

ioat rises with the liquid and the lower clutch member 7 is carried upinto engagement with the upper clutch member-19 in the position shown inFig. 2, thus locking the lower driven shaft 16 with the dial drivingshaft 20 in such manner that the rotations or movements of the metermechanism 1 is communicated to the dial mechanism to register the amountof liquid rpassing through the meter. Should however any air or gasenter the meter the liquid in the float chamber 5 will fall which willcause the float 6 to drop into position shown in Fig. 1

liquids which are at times frothy or foamythe froth or foam passingthrough the meter. will not be registered by the dial, nor will anymovement of the meter mechanism be communicated to the dial until thesolid liquid reaches the chamber 5 to raise the float 6.

As will appear from Fig. 1 the registering dial 21 is provided with adial hand 23 which passes over the dial and indicates the amountofliquid which has passed through thev meter. As soon as liquid ceasesto pass therethrough the dial hand 23 will by gravity drop back to itsrst or zero position. In order, however, to provide a register so as todetermine the highest `point the meter hand 23 reaches before droppingback to its zero position a following dial hand 22 is provided, whichhand can be operated from the outside ofy the dial. As the meter hand 23passes up over the dial it carries the following hand 22 with it butwhen the meter hand 23 drops back to its zero position the followinghand 22 maintains the highest position reached bythe meter hand 23 insuch manner that the amount of liquid which has passed through the metercan be determined even though the meter hand 23 has dropped back to itszero position. When the amount of liquid which has passed through themeter has been indicated by means ofthe following hand 22 said followinghand 22 is turned back to zero position as shown in Fig. 1 which turningposition is accomplished by means of a knurled thumb nut 24. Thisarrangement of the following hand and the meter hand is not new in thisapplication and is an expedient which is old and well known in gages ofdifferent characters, particularly in pressure gages; consequentlyapplicant lays no claim Whatever to this particular construction. Inconnection with the large dial 21 which may be marked to registergallons a'smaller dial 25 can be employed for registering quarts or forany other quantity desired, depending upon the purpose for which thedevice is being used.

Having thus fully described the invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States isz- 1. A meterprovided with a suitable mov-l ing mechanism, registering mechanism, andmeans for automatically connecting the moving mechanism of the meterwith the registering mechanism to register by the registering mechanismthe movement of the moving mechanism upon passage of a dense fluid suchas a liquid, through the meter, said means being constructed toautomatically elfect disconnection upon replacement of said liquid byair or gas. c v

2. A meter comprising a suitable moving mechanism arranged and adaptedto be moved by the passage of a fluid through the meter, a registeringmechanism, a float within the meter adapted to be raised by the liquidpassin therethrough, and means including a mem er operated by said oatto connect the moving mechanism of the meter with the registeringmechanism, said 130 member being constructed to effect disconnectionautomatically upon replacement of such liquid by air or gas.

3. A. meter comprising sultable moving mechanism arranged and adapted tobe moved by the passage of a fluid through the meter, a registeringmechanism, a float adapted to be raised by liquid passing through themeter, a clutch, one of the members of which is operated by said floatsuch liquid by a rare fluid.

4. A meter of the type described including a moving mechanism andregistering mechanism, said moving mechanism comprising, a float, clutchmembers, one of which members is opei-ated by said float, the

other clutch member controlling said vregistering mechanism, intergearedmembers, a shaft controlled thereby which connects said moving mechanismWith said registering mechanism, said shaft having a slidable Connectionwith the float actuated clutch member, said inter-geared members beingcontrolled by an element of the meter.

, A meter of the type described including a moving mechanism, and aregistering mechanism, said moving mechanism com- Ypri sing a float,clutch members, one of which members is operated by said float, theother clutch member controlling said registering mechanism, intergearedmembers, a shaft connecting the moving mechanism with the registeringmechanism, said shaft being actuated by said intergeared members, atubnlar member carried by said float, said shaft having a pin and Slotconnection With said tubular member, said intergcared member beingcontrolled by an element of the meter.

(. In a liquid meter, the combination of a rotary piston rotatableby'the passage of the liquid through the meter, registering mechanism,mean-s operatively connecting the registering mechanism and the saidpiston, and means dependent upon the amount of liquid in the meter fordisconnecting said registering mechanism and the said piston to renderthe mechanism inactive.

'7. In a liquid meter, the combination of a rotary piston rotatable bythe passage of liquid through the meter, registering mechanism, meansadapted to operatively connect the registering mechanism and the saidpiston, and means governed by the liquid in the meter for automaticallycontrolling said connecting means, to render the mechanism inactive oractive according to the height of such liquid.

8. In a liquid meter, the combination of a rotary piston rotatable bythe'passage of the liquid through the meter, registering mechanism,means operatively connecting the piston and the registering mechanism,and means controlled by the height of liquid in the meter forautomatically disconnecting the piston and the registering mechanism torender the latter inactive, when the liquid attains a certain level.

9. In a liquid meter, the combination of a rotary piston rotatable bythe passage of the liquid through the meter, registering mechanism,means operatively connecting the piston with the registering mechanism,and a float controlled by the liquid for automaticallyI disconnectingthe piston and the registering mechanism when the liquid attains acertain level.

10. In a liquid meter, the. combination of a casing, a rotatable elementtherein. said element being rotatable by the passage ol' the liquidvthrough'the casing, a register. means connecting the rotary element withthe register for operating the latter, a ioat within the casing, andmeans operatively related to the float and the said connecting means tocause the latter to disconnect and connect the rotary element and theregister.

11. In a liquid meter, the combination of a rotary piston, a register, aconnection between the piston and the register for operating the latter,said connection including as a component part a shiftable element torender the register active or inactive. and a float controlled by thesupply ofvliquid and operatively connected with the said shiftableelement for automatically shifting the latter.

In testimony whereof, I allix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

WALTER J. COSTELLO.

Utl

